UPDATE (Oct 17): While the Green Party thinks it’s futile to vote strategically, the Liberals want to convince you that’s not the case. Here’s an ad posted to Twitter on Saturday morning by the Chris Rodgers campaign.
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Green candidate Deborah Coyne says there’s no point in voting strategically in Carleton because Conservative Pierre Poilievre will be heading back to the House of Commons “no matter what”.
Coyne made the comments in an “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) session on Reddit today.
“Carleton is not on any credible strategic voting list – if there was ever a time to vote principle and stand up for a healthier democracy and a better Canada, it’s now,” she wrote. “Defeating Poilievre would be a bonus, but no matter what, he’s going back to opposition.”
“[Strategic voting] can certainly be valuable in 16-20 ridings across Canada — but Carleton is not one of them,” she wrote. “I’m encouraging people to vote for principle and for a representative that will make minority government work.”
Polls released in the last few days show that the Conservatives and Liberals are neck-and-neck in at least four suburban ridings, including Kanata-Carleton, Nepean, Orleans and Ottawa West-Nepean.
The Ottawa Citizen reported today that the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) is ramping up efforts in Carleton to defeat the Conservatives. Liberal candidate Chris Rodgers appeared at an event in Manotick today with PIPSC.
“(PIPSC president Debi) Daviau said the union included it as a target riding for ‘symbolic’ reasons because of Poilievre’s prominence as regional minister for the National Capital Region. She said what’s changed is a shifting momentum away from the Conservatives that opened an ‘opportunity for change,'” reported the Citizen.
I'm doing an AMA (ask me anything) on https://t.co/D1zjqOF7aL #gpc pic.twitter.com/gDAxSI7Fg2
— D Coyne (@DebCoyne) October 14, 2015
Proud to stand with @PIPSC_IPFPC & public servants. Proud to stand for #RealChange #LPC pic.twitter.com/xDT3ZIoO0Z
— Chris Rodgers (@ChrisHRodgers) October 14, 2015
While Pierre Poilievre thinks he’s hiding in one of the safest ridings in Ontario, are people really willing to put up with it?
Is there a line he can cross? Are people going to overwhelmingly vote conservative no matter what, in the Carleton riding?
Here’s an article today, about how Pierre has been spending money to travel around.
http://www.thestar.com/news/federal-election/2015/10/15/pierre-poilievre-spent-15000-on-trips-promoting-child-care-benefit.html
UCCB is taxable by the way.
He’s been at it for a while. See this elaborate CBC article: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/pierre-poilievre-s-hunt-to-hand-out-3b-in-child-care-cheques-1.3145203
So he’s been pulling these stunts, and then moves to a riding, knowing that all the suckers will cast a vote his way no matter what… That’s democracy at work, folks.